Furries
“Humanized animal” characters have been created by humans for as long as our history goes. Creatures possessing both human and animal traits were found in the earliest cave paintings. From that distant time period also come the first “anthropomorphic” figurines, made of wood and stone. Anthropomorphic animal characters and gods are an important part of many ancient cultures: Egypt, pre-colonized Americas, etc. The earliest cases leave us wondering what the purpose of such characters was. Where we have that knowledge, we can see that they were gods, familiars, escorts to the afterlife, demons, or just powerful beings. One of the earliest examples of anthropomorphic literature is Aesop’s Fables, which dates to around 500 BC Greece.Furries Furries are people who participate in the furry fandom and/or lifestyle. This is characterized by anthropomorpic and/or therianthropic animals with human features and personalities. Strangely, Conservapedia doesn't have an article on them yet, which is odd, because in the conservative mind, it is viewed as a deviant abomination akin to homosexuality composed of animal/human sex fetishists. There do not seem to be that many conservative furries in the world today. weird. Art Fursuits, puppetry, electronic music, conventions, literature, and web art and fanfiction are many ways in which furries express their interest. Conservative aspects Furries do have a large proportion of LGBT individuals compared to the rest of the population. According to Furry survey, about half of furries perceive public reaction to the fandom as negative; less than a fifth stated that the public responded to them more negatively than they did most furries.[11] Furry fans' belief that they will be portrayed as "mainly obsessed with sex" has led to mistrust of the media and social researchers. This belief is perpetuated by conservatives who believe that they are deviant sex fetishists. Furries actually have derogatory connotations toward other furries interested only in sex - 'yiff.'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furry#cite_note-BBC-7 Sexual aspects Differing approaches to sexuality have been a source of controversy and conflict in furry fandom. Examples of sexual aspects within furry fandom include erotic art and furry-themed cybersex.[51][52] The term "yiff" is most commonly used to indicate sexual activity or sexual material within the fandom—this applies to sexual activity and interaction within the subculture whether online (in the form of cybersex) or offline.[53][54] The majority of furries report a non-judgmental attitude towards certain aspects of sexuality and a high tolerance for variety in sexual orientation and activity[citation needed]. 19-25% of the fandom members report homosexuality, 37-48% bisexuality, and 3-8% other forms of alternative sexual relationships. In 2002 about 2% stated an interest in zoophilia, and less than 1% an interest in plushophilia.[26][55] Initial figures were collected by David J. Rust in 1997, but further research has been conducted to update these findings. About half of furry fans are estimated to be in a relationship, with 76% of those having a relationship with another furry.[26][55]. A 2008 survey updated the figures, showing a large difference, with just under a fifth of the participants describing themselves as being zoophile, and 9% being plushophile.[56] A follow-up survey in 2009 claimed that less than 14% of participants describing themselves as being zoophile, and less than 8% being plushophile.[57] Furry characters are sometimes associated with paraphilias, with online communities dedicated to art and stories featuring macrophilia, vorarephilia, infantilism (babyfurs) and maiesiophilia, among others.[58][59][60] Some fans argue that various paraphilias normally considered illegal in certain jurisdictions, such as pedophilia or extreme pornography, are legal when no humans are depicted. This is, however, the subject of debate. Softpaw Magazine, an erotic "cub" fan magazine, has been banned by furry conventions Eurofurence and Further Confusion due to fear of legal action. (source : wikipedia.)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furry#cite_note-61 References Category:Sex and Relationships